SqUEEZING a bit more out of me
From riding the post-Punk wave to mentoring The Strypes... Chris Difford has seen it all
From the depths of Deptford, south London, Squeeze caught the new wave ushered in by Seventies Punk to become one of the era’s best-loved bands. Hits such as Cool For Cats, Up The Junction and Labelled With Love broke the top five and saw Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford hailed as the Lennon and McCartney of punk.
Tilbrook composed the music and Difford wrote the lyrics to over 20 top 40 hits Squeeze have had in their recording career.
That this most expert of wordsmiths would write one of the most acclaimed musical autobiographies of recent years shouldn’t come as a surprise. 2017’s Some Fantastic Place tells of his life in and out of Squeeze, and he brings his solo music and spoken word show to Whelan’s in Dublin on March 6. This son of a Coleraine mother intends to be as forthright on stage as he is in the book.
‘I can only enjoy reading an autobiography if I know the writer is being completely honest with the reader,’ he says.
A shy person by nature, the pressures of success led him to become addicted to alcohol and abuse hard drugs.
‘I never thought that being in a band would be so complicated,’ the 63-year-old says. ‘As I got older, I realised that it wasn’t just about plugging in a guitar and making noise or even writing songs, it was about having a relationship with other people. I wasn’t very good at that. I admire how U2 and REM did things. Both bands seemed to be able to manage their friendships above everything else that they did.
‘Other groups like Oasis, for example, literally fought their way to the top. It’s different for everybody I guess.’
The band formed in the early Seventies. Jools Holland played piano until 1980 but was destined for greater fame as a TV presenter. After a run of hits, Squeeze split at the height of their fame in 1983.
‘We were just tired by then, to be honest,’ he says. ‘We’d been touring for six or seven years almost without a break. We had no time to refresh. We had loads of different keyboard players, lots of different managers, and regardless of the success you’re having, the upheaval of people coming and going just wears you down.’
Chris and Glenn had some success as Difford & Tilbrook but after reforming for a one-off charity gig with Holland and original drummer Gilson Lavis, they decided to give Squeeze another go in 1985. Subsequently, they had their biggest US hit when Hourglass hit the Billboard Top 20 in 1987.
But Holland left again in 1990. They soldiered on until 1999 when they finally split. Difford took on solo projects and had a stint as a personal manager to Bryan Ferry (a man of exacting standards) .
But the call of Squeeze was too great and he and Tilbrook reconvened with a new line-up in 2007. They became an unexpected chart act again when the album Cradle To The Grave hit number 12 in 2015. 2017’s The Knowledge took them back into the top 30.
Difford has also been a mentor to Cavan band The Strypes.
‘The Strypes are incredibly intelligent,’ he says. ‘They had a three-album deal; they’ve fulfilled that. When they decide to make another record it will be no problem getting a deal. A similar thing happened to Squeeze. Whatever they choose to do, they’ll be in a good place because they follow their instincts. That’s what Squeeze did and we’re still here.’
‘We’d been touring for six or seven years almost without a break. We had no time to refresh’